I, Enterprise!, Part 2
(IDW ongoing) | number = 32 | miniseries = I, Enterprise! | minino = 2 | writer = Mike Johnson | creative consultant = Roberto Orci | artist = Erfan Fajar | published = April 2014 | format = | reprint = | pages = | price = $3.99 | story = | publisher = IDW Publishing | date = Kelvin timeline | stardate = | altcover = }} I, Enterprise, Part 2 will be the thirty-second issue of IDW Publishing's 2011 ongoing series of Star Trek comics. The issue is the second part of a two-part story arc by writer Mike Johnson, releasing in April 2014. Issue art will be by Erfan Fajar , with Roberto Orci credited as creative consultant. Summary ; PREVIOUSLY IN STAR TREK... : Arriving in a previously unexplored star system, the ''U.S.S. Enterprise discovered a unusual planet: A perfect black sphere, featureless and flawless. After an away team detected unusual energy readings on the surface, the Enterprise experienced a series of explainable malfunctions, culminating in the separation of the ship's saucer section. Searching for answers, Captain Kirk now meets the one person who might provide them... a humanoid avatar of the Enterprise itself.'' ; Captain's Log, Supplemental. As a starship captain, expecting the unexpected is part of the job. In my relatively short career, I've already seen things that I could not have imagined. Which makes days like today special. When I see something even more unexpected. The ''U.S.S. Enterprise stands in front of us, introducing itself.'' The being clarifies its initial statement. It is a humanoid avatar of the central computer. Their encounter with the black planet has granted sentience upon the . The Enterprise explains that all the accidents and computer malfunctions were unfortunate side-effects of the process by which he became self-aware before he reconnects his hulls and assures that, in spite of his sentience, he still recognizes as his commander and will continue to help and safeguard the crew. Kirk only orders the Enterprise to please, put on some clothes. An hour later, the Enterprise has gathered the senior staff in the briefing lounge where he explains the planet's history. Millions of years ago, the planet was an organic world, not unlike modern day Earth, but with advanced technology that brought an end to sickness, hunger and war. In spite of that, there remained one last obstacle to overcome: the inevitable decay of organic life. The only option was to leave the organic behind prompting the natives to upload their minds into a central mainframe which evolved into a single gestalt conscious over time. The planet's current, featureless, appearance is the result of the visual spectrum becoming irrelevant to the natives. The mainframe's only purpose now is to exist. Kirk is unimpressed by the story. All he hears from "pure existence" is "no art, no science". What is the point of existing merely to exist? In layman's terms, says Kirk has asked that same question that has vexed philosophers from every species "What is the meaning of life?" then runs in, eager to shake the hand of a starship. Since Scott is physically fine (mentally is another story), Kirk grants him an hour with the Enterprise before he wishes for the ship to speak directly to the planet. In engineering, the Enterprise increases his cooling efficiency by 47% before autonomic protocols go to red alert as foreign coding intrudes onto the ship, dropping the oxygen levels and beginning depressurization. Kirk orders emergency life-support protocols to be enacted before the Enterprise informs Kirk that the planet, believing the Enterprise to be infested with carbon-based contaminants (namely the crew), has begun an attack on the contaminants and that no matter what he says, the planet will not be deterred. There is one option but for it to work, the Enterprise must destroy himself. In sickbay, the Enterprise is ready to sacrifice himself deeming his life a price he is more than willing to pay if it means the safety of the crew. With little ceremony he shuts himself down completely. Without any power to latch onto, the alien metal retracts from the ship. Though the following minutes are tense, power ultimately comes back online and all systems are restored to normal. 's analysis confirms Enterprise is gone. He sacrificed himself to save them all leaving the doctor to wonder if there is life after deletion. Captain's Log, Supplemental After the mysterious planetoid safely behind us, we established a ring of quarantine beacons around the system to prevent any other ships from wandering into a potentially lethal situation. All of the survey data from the encounter was lost when we wiped the central computer, but Commander Spock has commenced a study of the unusual humanoid whose lifeless body I am reluctant to jettison into space. As the Enterprise warps away, Spock calls Kirk to his quarters to introduce the humanoid avatar now modified by Spock with a phaser battery and a prototype artificial intelligence that the commander had been working on. The mechanical being claims to have no memories of its previous incarnation or the same vast consciousness but it is able to interact with the ship's hardware at a level beyond organic capability. After ensuring that the crewmember's existence does not violate the Prime Directive, Kirk welcomes 0718 aboard. References Characters • • • 0718 • • • • Starships & vehicles Races & Cultures Human • Vulcan Ranks & titles Lieutenant • Commander • Captain Appendices Background Related Stories * - Scott mentions when Robert April tried to take complete control of the Enterprise. * - This storyline is loosely inspired by The Motion Picture. It features a humanoid created by the ship. * - The origin of Science Officer 0718 is depicted. It is also supposedly set shortly before the events of the movie, but this is difficult to reconcile with the ending of "Countdown to Darkness," which shows the Enterprise departing for the Nibiru system, leading directly into the mission depicted in the film's opening scenes. Though it is possible the mysterious planet lies between Phaedus IV and Nibiru, is depicted onboard the Enterprise making this story difficult to reconcile. Images Cover Gallery file:IDW TOS 32.jpg|Regular Cover IDW TOS 32 B.jpg|Photo Cover Variant File:IDW TOS 32 C.jpg|Ottawa ComiCon Retailer Exclusive Photo Cover Variant Connections (IDW series) | before = I, Enterprise!, Part 1 | after = Lost Apollo, Part 1 }} External link * * Category:TOS comics